Author: Rebecca Kuang

Published on: May 16th 2023

PLOT: 4/5

CHARACTERS: 3.8/5

WRITING: 4/5

CLIMAX: 4/5

ENTERTAINMENT: 4/5

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Book review:

Picked this book just because of the hype that it’s been getting recently and is it worth it?-yes!!

I loved this book, the satirical take on publishers was very cleverly put highlighting the downsides of the profession.

i think one of the most difficult thing to portray as a writer is a villain. Main character of the book did everything that’s she shouldn’t have done like – stealing her best friends copy of her new novel and published on her name without giving any credits to the friend. But throughout author is very well capturing different instances of Junes life giving us a clue on what would have resulted into her current behaviour.

Throughout the book, I knew that whatever June is doing is not an ideal behaviour but do we really blame her completely for that. You see how her previous publishers had treated her, the kind of support that she received from her family and friends was negligible. I think if world would have shown her the kindness she deserved, things could have been different, but in no way I am favouring or supporting what she did. This book speaks a lot about flawed relationships and the impact that it might have on some one’s actions or behaviour. Below are a few lines that breaks my heart-

« Writing has formed the core of my identity since I was a child. After Dad died, after Mom withdrew into herself, and after Rory decided to forge a life without me, writing gave me a reason to stay alive. And as miserable as it makes me, I’ll cling to that magic for as long as I live.«

The way this novel ended, I strongly feel that there should be a sequel to this. I really want to know what happened next, did June recover, did she gave up and lived a nameless life, WHAT NEXT?

My favourite quotes from the book:

1. Reading lets us live in someone else’s shoes. Literature builds bridges.
2. Every time she tried to branch out to new projects, they kept insisting that Asian was her brand, was what her audience expected. They never let her talk about anything other than being an immigrant, other than the fact that half her family died in Cambodia, that her dad killed himself on the twentieth anniversary of Tiananmen. Racial trauma sells, right? They treated her like a museum.
3. Awards don’t matter—at least, I am told this constantly by the people who regularly win them.

Let me know in the comment section if you are planning to read yellow face and if already read, did you like it?